When Lynne Barclay’s phone rang Tuesday morning, she had no idea the voice on the other side was about to make her day.
Barclay had been feeling “a bit depressed” until the Richmond News called her up with some good news.
For the last 10 months, Barclay and two other fellow widowed friends had been fighting the City of Richmond to have all three of their late husbands memorialized on the same park bench, overlooking the Finn Slough on the south arm of the Fraser River.
They were thwarted, however, by the city’s maximum two-plaque rule for such benches – until city council finally increased the maximum to three earlier this month.
“This is an absolutely amazing surprise. I had no idea,” Barclay said, on hearing the news.
“We fought so hard for this and I was starting to get a little bit down to be honest. This allows more people to be memorialized in one place. Amazing.
“We can now all go to one spot and remember those who we were close to. I’m so happy.”
Barclay told the News in January how she – along with Bonnie Ross and Margaret Galawan – had appealed to the city to relax its two-plaque rule on park benches, so their late husbands, who were lifelong friends, could be remembered on the same bench, close to where the trio spent a chunk of their spare time while alive.
Barclay, who already has a plaque on the bench for late husband Cliff, said in January that Cliff, Ray Galawan and Tom Ross, “were such good friends for so many years…it would just be a crime to separate them now.”
At a city council meeting two weeks ago, councillors approved a staff recommendation to increase the maximum number of plaques per bench to three and the maximum number of plaques per picnic table to eight.
Staff had expressed concerns about the amount of "clear" space available on a bench for sitting, should council decide to allow three plaques.
“This can pose a challenge as the plaques are sometimes perceived as private memorial markers, in front of which some individuals prefer not to sit out of respect,” read the report.
At the same meeting, city council approved a plan for a one-time, 10-year renewal exemption for the 357 families who had bench/table memorial plaques erected prior to a city policy change in 2003.
“As several program participants have expressed that they were unaware of the policy update in 2003 and the introduction of the renewal terms, this would allow thein an additional 10 years to prepare for the renewal process,” added the report.
“The ongoing maintenance and replacement costs for the next 10 years will continue to be funded through existing operating budgets, including the bench and picnic table donation accounts.”
“Over the next 10 years (2020- 2029), an additional $241,500 is projected to be generated from the renewal of 78 dedications made in the period 2010 - 2019.”
However, the impact of the exemption means that the “opportunity for natural turnover” of bench and table memorials will be delayed.
As a result, city staff will have to direct new dedication enquiries to parks and trails that have available capacity, such as:
• Aberdeen Neighbourhood Park;
• Blundell Neighbourhood Park;
• Garden City Community Park;
• Hugh Boyd Community Park;
• King George Community Park;
• Lang Park;
• Railway Greenway;
• Richmond Nature Park;
• South Arm Community Park.
